New York Gay Travel Advertising

American Gay & Lesbian Travel Market
Represents A $64.5 Billion Travel Market

Ongoing research at Community Marketing, Inc. indicates the following: 

Gay People have higher disposable Incomes:

• For gay men and women, the average household income is $81,500 per year, almost 80% above the average U.S. household income of $46,326.

• 40% of gay men reported household incomes in excess of $100,000 per year. 36% of lesbians reported household incomes in excess of $100,000 per year.

• Gay men and lesbians with household incomes of $250,000+ travel more, spend more and cruise more than other gays and lesbians and indicate they prefer places that are restful, luxury oriented, and either mostly LGBT or exclusively gay.

• Over 55% of gay men and 65% of lesbians are partnered or live with a significant other.

Higher Incomes = More Travel:

• 83% of U.S. lesbian and gay men have a current passport, compared to 34% of all adult US citizens.

• 85% of lesbians and gay men are more likely to purchase products and services from companies that advertise in the LGBT Media.

• 81% of gay travelers purchased an airline ticket online.

• 77% of gay travelers purchase their accommodations online.

• Gay men and lesbians travel more widely than their mainstream counterparts both domestically and internationally and those with higher incomes travel even more frequently, especially for leisure purposes.

What motivates gay and lesbian booking patterns?

Gays and lesbians are primarily booking their travel directly via airline and hotel websites (56%) or through online travel agencies such as Travelocity or Orbitz (34%). Direct booking is significantly more important than web-based travel services and so travel suppliers having an LGBT “microsite” with dedicated content is a positive motivator for LGBT consumers.

What are the top motivations for gay travelers?

• The top motivations for choosing a hotel are: its reputation for gay-friendliness and the availability of online information when planning a trip. In considering which hotel they would select when making a hotel reservation for leisure travel, over half (52%) of respondents said they would consider the price of the hotel very motivating. About one-third of participants also thought they would be relatively highly motivated by the hotel’s location near tourist attractions (36%) or a review on the Internet (35%), and by the reputation of the hotel as LGBT friendly (30%).

• The top motivations for choosing a destination are: recommendation from friends (72%), unique attractions, and destinations known for their gay-friendliness.

References
Gay & Lesbian Travel Surveys, Community Marketing, Inc., San Francisco, CA.